The Momentary Peace
by animehimechan
Summary: As Aya was given a small break from a long and tiring mission, she found herself aloof being Kakashi not with her. Until, she was summoned again by Tsunade, the Sixth Hokage, given a mission that could change her very attitude towards her hidden emotions.
1. Prologue

_Hi there! This is the first time I wrote a story here in Fanfiction. I hope you'll like it. If you don't, feel free to send me PMs, or just review. I don't mind, _

_really. Well, enjoy… ^_^_

_P.S. I made this story last December 26, 2009… I just upload it now… hihihi…_

Prologue

Bloodline limit are called to those ninjas whose capabilities are beyond a normal ninja's limit. Each of the five great shinobi countries has clans with

a bloodline limit. It was classified as the weakest to the strongest. One of the strongest clan there was to exist was known as the Uchiha clan

from Konohagure. Among the five great shinobi countries, it was measured to be the most feared clan since they possess something only their clan

ever had. A clan who dwell in such powerful eyes even the strongest ninja would fall into it. It was called as "Sharingan". It uses an illusion

technique (genjutsu) that once caught, it will be difficult to defeat. Aside from using genjutsu, it can also see the flow of the chakra. That is the

power of the Sharingan.

During the Third Great Ninja war, many honorable shinobis died and had suffered the loss. One of which was from the Uchiha clan named Uchiha

Obito, Hatake Kakashi's friend and teammate. He had a twin sister who looked exactly different from him; may it be in looks or in attitude. Her

name was Uchiha Aya. She was a medical ninja trainee and was best in her class. Compared to her twin brother, she was headstrong as Obito

was a cry baby; she was punctual as Obito was always late; and yet, she was gentle and carrying as Obito would whimper all the way to her. The

only similarity they had was their willingness to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their friends. And yet, even though they have so many

differences, they were so close to each other that they were like inseparable.

When died, Aya got angry to Kakashi. She knew that Kakashi didn't like Obito because of his continuous tardiness and of his stupid excuses of

being late. She didn't know why but she felt like blaming it all to someone and she blamed it all to him. The truth was, she liked Kakashi very much,

but she refuses to admit it. But as the years passed by, she and Kakashi became good friends. They spent their time along with Rin and Minato-

sensei. Rin was Kakashi's former teammate who died due to the given mission. Minato-sensei, who was the fourth Hokage, died while protecting

the village from the attack of the Kyuubi. Just like Kakashi, she lost her teammates as well. During the war, she lost Kar and during an A-rank

mission, she lost Haro. Her sensei, who she considered a well matched for the fourth Hokage, died tragically too. Her dearest friend Yua betrayed

Konoha and joined the organization called "Akatsuki". Since then, Kakashi and Aya were feeding up each other's loneliness and sadness until such

time they fell in love with each other, but they would always deny it.

Aya was one of the elite Uchiha whose Sharingan opened at a very early age. At the age of thirteen, Kakashi joined the ANBU squad, and Aya

carried on as a medical ninja trainee. After a year, when she became a jounin, her Mangyekou Sharingan was opened and was chosen by Danzou

to join the ANBU squad. She served as ANBU's personal medical ninja under Danzou's order. At the age of twenty-one, her Amateratsu and

susanoo opened at the same time and no one knew it but Uchiha Itachi himself.

Itachi and Aya's family was close from the very beginning. Itachi considered Aya as an older sister and so did she. When she acknowledged

Danzou's offer regarding the ANBU squad, her friendship with Itachi was falling apart. Then, years passed by, she had no more communications

connecting her clan. The next thing she knew, Itachi was already a member of the ANBU squad. She didn't know the reason, but for an Uchiha to

be a member of the squad, aside from her, was something suspicious and must not be disregarded. She knew quite well her clan's history; from

the time Konohagakure was founded by the two well respected clans, the Senju and the Uchiha; until the moment Uchiha Madara egoistically took

his brother's eyes for his own pleasure; until the night he betrayed his clan. So why the higher ups would be interested in them? that was what

she thought. What she didn't know that Itachi was just bait to the two advisers and Danzou's plan.

Before Itachi was about to carry out his crucial mission, he went to Aya to warn her about Danzou's schemes especially for her. He warned her

about her Sharingan; that it was better sealed off rather than Danzou having her eyes. Knowing that her suspicion was proven by Itachi's remarks

as to why Danzou took her in and knowing that she already reached her eyes' maximum, Aya agreed to Itachi's proposal. With the third Hokage's

permission, Sarutobi, Itachi permanently sealed Aya's Sharingan. She also renounced being the medical ninja of the ANBU squad. Being aware that

Aya noticed something, Danzou approved to let her quit being an ANBU's personal medical ninja. Then, the massacre happened. Aside from

Sasuke, whom Itachi didn't kill, he left Aya too into the Hokage's hands. Aya didn't have the slightest idea why, but she had the feeling that she

could trust and count on him, hoping that someday Itachi would explain everything to her. She knew Itachi long enough to figure him out; that

there must be some reason as to why he would kill his own clan. Even though she felt deceived, she still had hopes for him, thinking that his

younger brother, Sasuke, wouldn't become like him. But it was too late. She was too late. She couldn't do anything to stop them both. Her very

own relatives were trapped into the darkness and not even she could do anything to stop them.

After the said massacre, Kakashi recommended to change her name as to clear suspicions of her. No one really knew her real identity quite well

since she was serving the ANBU squad the whole time. Aya was reluctant at the beginning, but after countless times of thinking about it, she

finally approved. She changed her proud Uchiha name into Sumire which was known in the whole world as "The Glass Maiden".

Together with Kakashi, they were one of the most feared ninja in the world. They appeared in the Bingo Books of the different countries and had

great bounties for them. They were always chased by the Black Oops in different countries but neither could subdue them. Due to their impressive

skills, Sarutobi paired them up in different missions and were successful in every one of them; may it be an A-rank mission or an S-rank mission.


	2. The Mission

_This is an altered version of the Naruto Shippuuden story. This happened after Asuma's death where team 10 took revenge for his death. I hope you'll _

_enjoy this as much as I enjoy making this story…^_^_

_P.S. I don't own any Naruto characters…_

Chapter1

The Mission

Aya walked past the Hokage's building and walked directly to Kakashi's apartment. She stared at it for a moment thinking what Kakashi could have

been doing. It had been days since he left with Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji. So were Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato. She then started to head

back to the Hokage's office to where she was called. As she walked more rapidly, she thought it always gives her an uneasy feeling when Kakashi

is not around. She kept on walking, still with those thoughts in her head. She reached the office, knocked onto the door, turned the door knob,

and went in.

"You called, Hokage-sama?" Aya said as she walked in, absentmindedly.

"Aya," the sixth Hokage, Tsunade, said, "I'm going to send you to your new mission."

"What kind of mission is it Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade looked at the paper she was holding in her hand, and then looked back to her.

"An A-rank mission." she said, and then, paused for a while. "There had been rumors that Akatsuki is in the town of Silver." she continued.

"The town of Silver, huh?" Aya said as she drifted off her mind. "Who's going to be my teammate, Hokage-sama?"

"Well let's see." Tsunade said, while reading a piece of paper into her hand. "Your teammates will be Wataru and Akane. They are newly passed

chuunins from the last chuunin exam. You need to go easy on them." She said the last sentence in attempt of putting some humor on it.

Hearing Tsunade's statement, she returned to the present. "I'll try my best." she said, smiling at her. "So, when can I meet them?"

"I've already summoned them. They should be here any minute." Shizune said.

A knock on the door stopped their conversation. They all turned around to see who it was.

"Come in." Tsunade said.

"Sorry we're late Tsunade-sama." a cute young girl who wore a green ¾ sleeves and a high knee boots said as she came in through the office,

smiling. She was about twelve or thirteen years old. Her hair was short and the color was dark red with a clip attached to her bangs, and a long

ponytail tide neatly at her back. While her eyes were golden brown which suits her circular face perfectly.

"Aahhhh!" she exclaimed, hands at her chest. "You're Sumire Aya. My name is Akane. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said, tilting her head down

a bit.

Shocked, she smiled at her sweetly. "It's pleasure to meet you too, Akane." Aya said.

"Hey, Wataru, come on here." Akane said, shouting outside the door. A tall boy walked inside the office, surrounded with self-confidence. Aya was

surprised to see him. He looked very familiar to her; it's as if she'd seen him already. "This is Wataru, my friend and teammate."

Aya looked at him for a moment, observing him. He had an orange hair; his eyes were emerald green, and a band aid on the right cheek. He wore

a black turtle neck shirt with Konoha's green vest and his forehead protector was placed at his forehead. No wonder he looked familiar, Aya knew

him since he was about six years old. Probably he didn't remembered Aya since he didn't show any signs of identification. "It's nice to meet you,

Wataru." Aya said, reaching out her hand to him, pretending not to know him.

"Tsunade-sama, when will we leave for this mission?" Wataru said, looking outside the window, hands tucked at his pockets.

What a rude child, Aya thought. He has changed. He used to be very kind and courteous. This kind of reminds me of someone, she added, smiling

at the memories.

"Uhum." Shizune said in a loud voice.

Everyone turned to face Tsunade when she spoke, "Wataru, Akane, Aya will be your taicho (captain) from this mission and you will be called Team

Aya. You will listen to her every commands and plans. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" answered Akane, shoving Wataru to do the same.

"Well then. Now that you're all here, I'm going to tell your mission." Tsunade said. After a short silence, she spoke, "There had been a rumor that

Akatsuki is in the town of Silver. Team Aya, your mission is to find out about it and report to me the current situation. And if possible, try to avoid

any contact with them. Well then, it's better to start your mission right away." she said, looking at the three of them. "You are now dismissed."

The three of them walked out of the Hokage's office.

"Well then, we'll meet at the main entrance after an hour, okay?" Aya said to them and started to leave. Suddenly, Akane held her arm that

abruptly stopped her.

"Aya-taicho!" Akane said, as she tightly held her arm, voice trembling.

Aya stared at her, surprised.

"I-I'm sorry about Wataru. He is not usually like that. He usually is kind and very cheerful. I hope you'd forgive him."

"I'm not angry at him Akane. Actually, I find him very amusing. He reminds me of someone I used to know." Aya said while holding Akane. "We

have to go now and prepare for our mission."

She was silent, but after a while, she smiled.

"Hai!" Akane answered, gleefully, while letting go of her hand.

Aya turned to her right and went directly to her apartment to get ready for the said mission while waving her hand goodbye to Akane and Wataru

expecting to see them both later on. When she left, Akane and Wataru went to the other direction to do the same. After an hour, they met at the

entrance gate, all set for the mission.

"Let's move out." Aya said as she glanced to the two chuunins who were with her.


	3. Tryst

Chapter2

Tryst

They have been barely traveling for two whole days now with little rest. Akane and Wataru had been exhausted and hungry but were pushed to

their limits. They have been given time to respite but only for seconds. It's as if Aya-taicho is in hurry or something, Akane thought.

The first time she saw Aya, she thought she'd seen an angel just like what she imagined her to be. She was very pretty and tall. She had a slim

and slender body which suits her oval face; she had a long silky black hair and dark gentle eyes and when she looked at it, she felt secure. She

had a soft voice that you would _want_ to hear every day. Aya was her icon.

Through out their travel, nothing much happened. Only that Aya had been silent and so was Wataru. Aya only give signals when she wanted them

to know something while Wataru would be in his bored expression, as always. Traveling with them for another day would drive her crazy! she

thought. What could she do to enlighten the mood? She hadn't known Aya for long but as for Wataru, he'd come around. Maybe she'd ----

"We'll stay here for tonight." Aya said which brought Akane to the present. "The town of Silver isn't far away from here. We can relax down a bit."

For the first time she heard Aya spoke for the past few days, she felt happy and relieved to some point.

Akane looked from afar. She is beautiful, she thought. I want to be like her someday. Her thoughts kept running into her head over and over.

"Wataru, would you mind gather some woods?" Aya said, removing her forehead protector which was placed at the upper left of her leg.

Wataru didn't make any response; instead, he made his way to the woods to do what he was told. Akane come across Wataru as he was about

to leave, then turned her head to look at Aya.

"Aya-taicho," she began just as Wataru was out of sight. "you've been quiet for the whole two days during our travel. So was Wataru. I really

don't get it. He usually is talkative."

Aya stared at her for a moment then smiled at her. She knew from the beginning there was something special in Akane. She can sense other

people's aura; from merry to gloomy or from angry to sadness. It reminds her so much of…

"Hmmm… do I really have to answer that?" Aya said, meekly at the same time smiling.

"It depends." Akane said as she smiled back.

"You and Wataru seemed very close with each other."

"Yes. We've been teammates since after graduating in the Academy. Back at the Academy, he was cheerful and loves to kid around. Until an

incident happened." she said the last sentence like she wanted to cry. Then, she continued, "Iruka-sensei would always scold him for being so

insensitive. And sometimes, Iruka-sensei would smile at him without any reason."

"Was he a noisy brat that suddenly screams that he is great and can do anything?" at that, Aya smiled at the memories.

Akane giggled. "How did you know, taicho?"

"Just a wild guess." she smiled at her even broader.

Then both of them laughed just in time as Wataru return from gathering the woods.

"After both of you finish eating, get some rest. Tomorrow at full daylight, we'll probably reach the town of Silver." Aya said as she leaped into the

nearby tree and rested in it.

The following day, just as Aya predicted, they reached the town of Silver's main border early in the morning. But when they arrived there, it's as if

no one lived there. The streets were quiet; not even the slightest sound could be heard. They were taken aghast. How can be a town of Silver is

so quiet? She had been in this town when she and Kakashi were given a mission and she knew that this was once to be a cheerful town; it had

full of festivals and people were enjoying it. Something dreadful must have happened or none of this could have happen, Aya thought.

They kept on walking to see if anyone was there, but as they went on, they were starting to lose hope. Just then, a group of four men went

running back to the town in such a hurry with their faces painted with horror. They were afraid of something, Aya thought, and they are running

away from it.

When the four men reached the border, they were panting so hard, neither one of them could breathe. Akane went to them and tried to ask some

questions. But before she could ask, an old man blocked her with his remarks, "Leave this place if you want to live!" then he old man collapsed.

The other three was so revolted that they recovered quickly and continued to run as fast as they could back to their houses. Upon reaching their

house, they shut the door so tight, leaving no room for sunlight.

Puzzled, Aya went near the old man who was lying on the floor and carried him to a safe place. Once there, she healed him with her medical

ninjutsu. After a while, the man finally awoke. When he saw Wataru, he started to panic, but when he saw Aya's sweet smiling face, he calmed

down.

Aya went near him and held his hand while she sat down. She first checked his pulse then performed her medical ninjutsu again to check the old

man's condition.

"Good. No broken bones or organs busted." she said. Then her expression changed; from a sweet smiling face to a serious one. "Now, tell me.

What are you running away from? Or better yet, _who_ are you running away from?"

The old man didn't respond. Instead, he stared at her for a moment; thinking that they may be accomplices with _them_. Not knowing what to do

with these strangers in front of him, he started to stand up. Then Wataru spoke in his cold tone of voice, "Who were after you?"

Still, the old man, who was now standing, didn't respond. But, when he looked into Wataru's eyes', he sat back to where he was, and then

opened his mouth. But no words came out; as if he turned mute.

"Taicho," Akane began, "should I perform genjutsu on him so he would speak?"

"No." Aya said; her mouth was set into a firm line. She was not going to use genjutsu on this poor old man, who had suffered enough, unless it's

the last resort. "I believed that the town of Silver was a very cheerful place. It was full of festivals and people were enjoying it. What happened

here?"

But still, the old man remained silent. They were starting to lose hope.

"We were running away from…" the old man exclaimed.

"Running away from what?" Akane said impatiently.

When the old man didn't respond, Wataru yelled at him, "Running away from what, old man?!"

"Stop it, Wataru!" Aya said. "Stop scaring him even more. Please continue what you were about to say." she said when she turned back to face

the old man.

"Akatsuki." the old man said in a low voice.

"What did you say?" Akane asked, trying to comprehend what he just said.

The old man gave a sigh and said, "We're running away from the two Akatsuki members who imprisoned this town."

There was silence.

"They've been in this town for three years now." the old man continued, "and we didn't do as much as try to fight for our freedom."

"Three years?!" Aya said, astonished of what she just heard. "That's…" she trailed off because she didn't want to scare the old man again. Three

years huh? So, the rumors that Tsunade-sama said were really true. They must have used this town as a base, she said to herself.

"What were you doing outside the town then?" Akane asked, clearly taking this up.

At first, the old man was reluctant to answer, but then gave up, "We were spying on them."

"Spying them for what?" Wataru asked, this time, calmer.

"Looking for a chance to kill them." the old man said, his eyes grew wide in shock. He then shut his mouth, deciding not to tell anymore of what he

had just said. They were strangers to him anyway so why tell them their town's secrets? As a matter of fact, he told more from what Aya had

expected. Seeing the old man's face, she decided to stop their questioning about him, telling both her companions to return him to his house

safely.

When Wataru and Akane were out, she recalled everything the old man told them. Akatsuki, she thought. Would she meet _her_ then? She trailed

her thoughts off when she heard Akane and Wataru returned.

"Both of you should get some rest. We'll have to do something about this tomorrow." Aya said as she walked into the darkness and disappeared

to formulate a plan for tomorrow.


	4. Defiance

Chapter3

Defiance

As she walked alone into the darkness of the night, she remembered what Akane said to her earlier. She was very silent during their travel and it

didn't sound like her at all. She was thinking about Kakashi the whole time; thinking if they returned to Konoha already. It may not be the first time

for the two of them not being in missions together but it still worries her about him.

"Hmmm… " Aya said as she hopped unto a tree. "Really. Why do I always think about him? Hmm?!" She turned around when she heard

movements at her back. She concealed her chakra and hid herself in the trees. She saw two men, holding large spears in their hands. Are they

ninjas? she asked herself.

"Damn those townspeople," the first man said. "We shouldn't have let them go. It's was your entire fault!"

"Don't point that thing on me, stupid." said the second man. "It will be your fault if that Akatsuki member will kill us!"

Aya listened to the two men attentively. So it was them who were after the four men before and those men were working for the Akatsuki. I'd

better report this to Tsunade-sama right away, she thought. It will be better if I let Suuki send my report, she continued. She waited for the two

men to go away before she'd send Suuki back to Konoha. But the two men didn't leave; instead, they continued to search for the townspeople

before.

"This is bad. They're heading straight to Akane and Wataru." she said, yet, her voice was calm.

She formed some hand seals and puff; the two men were trapped in her genjutsu. She then formed another hand signs and her glass appeared,

trapping the two men in her jutsu. She then hopped down from the tree. When she reached the ground, her right hand was around her waist; her

left foot separated a few inches from the other foot and stared at the two men whom she trapped in her glass jutsu. When she released her

genjutsu, they too looked at her in awe and were starting to panic. She formed another hand seal and her kagebunshin appeared. She released

her jutsu and locked their hands with her glass. She then let her kagebunshin call Akane and Wataru.

"Who are they, Aya-taicho?" Akane asked full with confusion. "They looked like they've seen a ghost."

"These men were the ones who were after the townspeople before. They _are_ working for the Akatsuki."

"W-who are you?" said the first man with tremor in his voice. "What are you planning to do to us?"

"We'll just have to get some answers out with you." Aya said, sweetly smiling at them. "You don't have to worry. It will only take a second."

As she was approaching to the two men whose hands where tightly sealed by her glass jutsu, she formed a hand seal and execute another

genjutsu on the two men. Seconds later, they were under her jutsu and told Akane to precede asking questions to them.

It didn't take a while getting information out from them. They said they were paid by the two Akatsuki members to guard the border and let no one

leave from the town. If anyone does, it should be killed right away.

"What a cruel thing to do." Akane said as she kneeled near the two men.

"Get used to it, Akane." Aya said; her tone of voice was indifferent. "Those two Akatsuki members were here to watch their base. And as for these

two, they are most likely ordered to kill any one of the townspeople if they go against them." She looked up at the sky. "Hmmm... This is really

bothersome." She looked back to see the two men. "We might as well head back to Konoha and let Tsuname-sama know of the situation. If we

battle the Akatsuki here, we may not be able to defeat them."

"What are you saying?" Wataru said, clutching both his fists. "Are you telling us to chicken out on them? Do you call yourself a ninja?! A jounin to

be exact?! Is this the 'Glass Maiden' we heard so much about?"

"Wataru, stop it." Akane said, concerned in her voice. "You know quite well that Akatsuki are very difficult to deal with. We are nothing compared

to them and we only have Aya-taicho to count for."

"That's enough Akane." Aya said calmly. "We'll head back to Konoha first thing tomorrow."

"What about them, Aya-taicho?" Akane said, pointing the two men.

"We'll bring them to Konoha with us. We'll let Ibiki handle them. For now, just get some rest and tomorrow, we'll go back to Konoha." Aya said with

resignation in her voice. She then started to leave but then Wataru stopped her when he said, "Why don't you just admit that you're scared of 

_them_?"

"Wataru!" Akane said, pleading.

"Why don't you tell us that you're too damn petrified to face them alone? That's why you want to return to Konoha." Wataru continued, provoking

Aya.

"Stop it!" Akane said, this time with an authority in her voice. Wataru pushed Akane to the side and it hit her to the ground. She was shocked to

see Wataru that way. What is wrong with him? Why is he like that? These thoughts kept running through her head as she stared Wataru walked

away, stomping his way out.

Even with what Wataru said, it didn't struck Aya as it was suppose to be. She was not even bothered by his words; she just remained silent and

stared the stars above.

"Aya-taicho…" Akane said as she stood up.

"Leave him alone for now. He might come around later on."

"Hai." Akane answered softly.


	5. The First Encounter

Chapter4

The First Encounter

Wataru ran and ran until he could no longer withstand the pain he felt all over his body, more especially on the wound on his chest he received. He

had been running for like hours now, lost in the woods, and all alone. He suddenly fell to the ground then hid himself near a tree, clutching both

his feet near his head and waited for morning to arrive.

Earlier, when he left Akane and Aya, he moved far away from them as possible, his strides were long and wide. As he walked through the woods,

rain started to pour down hard. He subsequently looked for a place to stay. Luckily, he saw a cave and went in; remained until the rain was gone.

However, the rain came down tough and he was freezing to death. While he stayed there, he unexpectedly heard voices coming from the inside of

the cave. Standing up, he peeked to see who was there. What he saw stopped him from breathing. They wore black coats and had red clouds

imprinted on them. The first one was tall and huge. He was sitting in an Indian position near the fire. Attached to his back were two large

Fuurikens and some explosive notes affix to it. The other one was small and shaped like a woman rather than a man. She was sitting in a boulder;

her left leg crossed on top of the other; her right arm was tucked inside her coat. He looked intently at the woman and all of a sudden, he

remembered a person whom he lost long ago. Setting aside what he observed, it looked like they were also having a break from the downpour.

It took him some time to realize that what he was seeing were the members of the Akatsuki group! He was about to leave to warn Akane and Aya

of what he just saw when the two Akatsuki members began to talk.

"Sheesh…" the man began. "I hate rainy days. You don't hate them right, sempai?" he said the last sentence as though he was about to laugh.

"Don't you have any better matter to think of?" the woman shot back at him, yet voice calm.

"Aahhh…" the man said. As he said that, his voice was like singing. "I don't think one rat is going to ruin my day." He then stood up; his right hand

reached the large Fuuriken.

Upon hearing this, Wataru was alarmed. Hurriedly, he got up and started to run away from the cave and certainly, away from the two Akatsuki

members.

"No." said the woman. "I'll take care of it."

"Why don't you do it fast before _Paine_ is going to call us again?" the man said, smirking at her.

"What if you're the one I'm going to kill?" the woman said with fierce eyes and hostile voice; removing her right arm that was tucked underneath

her black coat.

"Now, now," said the man, obviously trying to calm the woman. "You've gone a little dynamic lately, sempai." He said the last sentence as a joke in

purpose but she didn't as well as smile.

"Your humor has gone bad." the woman said, her fierce eyes never leaving his. Then, she suddenly disappeared.

"My, my… What a speed. I could never cope up to you, sempai." he said as he was about to leave the cave.

Wataru ran as fast and as far away from the cave as possible. He tumbled and fell, and it took all his might to stand up and run again. He was

panting very hard and could no longer hear his own thoughts. He was afraid that those two Akatsuki members will get to him and kill him. He

turned around to see if they were following him. When he turned back to the front, he abruptly stopped for what was ahead of him was the

woman whom he saw not so long ago.

"My," the woman said in front of him. "You could run fast. But then again, I'm faster than you."

How this woman did reach me? She's so fast! I could never outrun her, Wataru thought. What should I do now? The only way for me to survive is

to fight. Those were the words that kept shouting through his head.

He formed a hand seal and performed the best ninjutsu he learned: the 'Fire Thrust'. He learned that jutsu from his sister's friend who died a long

time ago. He could still remember how her sister's friend thought her that jutsu. She was kind and gentle; yet, willful. He would sometimes skip the

Ninja Academy just to look for her and learn the jutsu. He would always get scolded by his sister because of skipping classes and said that she

and her friend were busy accomplishing their mission. After the 'incident' that happened years ago, he never used the jutsu ever again. But now,

in the brick of death, he was going to do it again as his last hope.

"Fire Thrust no Jutsu!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and huge flame (fire balls) came out of nowhere; surrounding the woman.

"Not bad." the woman said, with her unreadable face. "For a Senju." she added.

"How did you…?!" Wataru said, appalled of what he heard.

The woman stared at him hard; making his skin shiver from her cold stare.

"I'm going to let you live," he heard her say. "for now."

Then, she attacked him leaving a huge wound in his chest. Blood was flowing out from his body! The woman suddenly disappeared into thin air,

leaving no trace of her. "And, why don't you warn those Konoha shinobis to be careful. You don't want them dead, do you?" she said through the

air. Afterward, the rain stopped. He then ran as fast as he can, away from where he was until he no longer could. And now, he was hidden near a

tree, clutching both his legs together, his head bent down. It was already dawn when he rested and was falling asleep. But, he could not. He must

not! He needs to look for Akane and Aya to warn them about the Akatsuki and what she told him about. Few minutes later, he lost consciousness.


	6. Remorse

Chapter5

Remorse

Aya sat on a tree branch waiting for morning to come so they can return to Konoha. After Wataru left, she was thinking on how to counter the

Akatsuki (if ever they meet, that is). She could not risk Akane and Wataru's life for this mission. She lost so many friends and most especially,

family. Well, she considered Konoha as her family but she lost her very own fresh and blood. After everything, if possible, she doesn't want to lose

anybody close to her anymore. She doesn't want to carry the burden she did a long time ago; the burden that Itachi and Sasuke were carrying

until now.

"Aya-taicho!" Akane yelled at her from below, her voice was surrounded with emergency. "Aya-taicho!"

"What is it Akane?" Aya asked as she jumped down from the tree branch.

"I-it's Wataru." she answered. "He's badly injured."

"What?! Where is he?!"

"Right over there. Follow me, taicho."

When Aya saw Wataru and his wounds, she immediately went to him and performed her medical ninjutsu. His face left its color; from red to white.

What happened to him? She thought. Did he, by chance, face those two Akatsuki members alone? Darn it! Why did I let him go off alone?

"Wake up!" Aya bellowed at him. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Aya-taicho," Akane began, showing the concern in her eyes.

Could she be crying? Akane thought. She gently tapped Aya's shoulder and gestured that Wataru returned to his normal color, that he was

already okay. But still, Aya continued healing Wataru. She didn't stop it. Or couldn't?

Akane stared at her for a moment. Why isn't she stopping? Akane asked herself. She went to her and this time, she held Aya's hand, harder and

said, "Aya-taicho, that's enough. Wataru is already well."

Still, Aya didn't budge.

"Aya-taicho!"

At that, Aya regained awareness of what she was doing. She instantly stopped her medical ninjutsu, gazed at him. She was taken aghast as to

what might happen to Wataru, thinking that he might not make it. Well, he already is fine and he started to regain consciousness.

When she saw Wataru not so long ago, he was such in bad shape that she thought he was about to die and thought that she won't be able to

save him. But when she saw him again, his original color returned and his pulse is back to normal, she was relieved. More importantly, he's alive.

That cheered her up.

She fell back to the ground and contemplated of what come about Wataru. It was already morning when Akane found Wataru. Wait a minute, she

said to herself. How did Akane found Wataru?

"Akane," Aya began as she walked to Akane.

"Hai, Aya-taicho."

"How did you find Wataru?"

Akane turned silent, and it taken her awhile to answer.

"I-I went to look for Wataru earlier. I was worried about him since he didn't return. When it started raining, I went away to look for him. I was

thinking that you wouldn't notice so I ran off alone."

At that, Aya turned quiet. She didn't really noticed Akane took off by herself; Akane didn't even bother to tell her. And aside from that, did Akane

really think she wouldn't notice? What is happening to her? She isn't usually like that. What changed her so much that even a slightest motion she

wouldn't even noticed? Her thoughts didn't stop; it kept running into her head until Wataru finally woke up.

"Are you alright?" Akane said, concerned in her voice. She helped him sat right up.

"U-uhuh." Wataru replied, holding his head form the throbbing pain.

"What happened to you?" Aya said, clasping Wataru's hands and healed him again.

"Akatsuki." Was all he could say, clearly grasping the pain he received from his head. Then his eyes widen as memories returned from him.

Akane gasp from what she heard but Aya just looked at him. How did he survive if he faced the Akatsuki? Did they let him live? Just like that? What

the hell is happening?

"Aya-taicho!" Wataru said, clutching both the upper arms of Aya so tight. He acted so fast that Aya didn't noticed. "The Akatsuki. There was this

woman who… who…" he didn't finish his sentence. He held his head as the pain was starting again.

"What did this woman do to you?" Aya said her voice was full of emergency.

But before Wataru could answer again, a loud scream was heard from the east not far from where they were. What was that? Could it possibly be

the two Akatsuki members that hurt Wataru? If so, she wouldn't let those two get near Akane, most especially, Wataru.

Another yet, a loud scream was heard and this time, many people was shouting and crying for help. That came from the town of Silver! Without

thinking another thought, the three of them ran to the direction to where the scream took place.


	7. The Second Encounter

Chapter6

The Second Encounter

Aya looked intently at the two Akatsuki members in front of her, at the same time waiting for a single movement they made. She was covered with

blood. Wataru collapsed after being hit hard by the woman and Akane to go back to Konoha as fast as her feet could.

Earlier, when they reached the town of Silver, Aya immediately cast her glass jutsu onto the whole town to stop the spreading of the fire and to

free them from the grasp of the two Akatsuki members. She was astounded when she saw the one of Akatsuki members – the small one who was

shape like a woman. Indeed, she _is_ a woman! With her hair tucked under her straw hat and her petite face plastered underneath her robe, she

did not as much as looked like a woman. Instead, she looked more of a male rather than a female.

That woman. The woman who injured Wataru right down from his chest. The woman whom she thought that killed Wataru after leaving a huge

unsightly wound in his chest. That woman! she couldn't help herself think.

As the two Akatsuki members were fast approaching, Aya didn't thought twice of casting her glass jutsu on them. But before she could, genjutsu

befall upon them. Realizing rather quickly, Aya released herself from the jutsu. She quickly turned to see her teammates devoured by it.

What a strong genjutsu, Aya thought. If I hadn't noticed it, I would also be in a deep trance. Who could possibly be behind of this? The huge man

or the woman? Akane and Wataru obviously didn't notice since both of them were caught in the jutsu. Darn it! If I had only known, she thought.

She hastily went to them and released the said jutsu. She then summoned Suuki, Aya's pet Lion, and then ordered Akane to return to Konoha with

him and inform Tsunade their current situation. Without any protest, Akane rode Suuki's back and went off.

"Aya-taicho, I'll take care of that woman." Wataru said as soon as Akane was gone. His voice was full of confidence.

Where does his confidence coming from, Aya asked herself.

"Then, I'll take care of that guy then."

They hopped down from the tree and confronted the two Akatsuki members.

"This is where it ends." Aya said dryly.

"Oh." the huge man said sarcastically. "And I thought you killed the rat, sempai."

"Are you mocking me, Hatsu?" the woman said fiercely.

"Not that I could think of." replied Hatsu.

"Why don't you stop your chitchat and get to the point." Wataru said, clearly annoyed that they are taken for granted.

"My, this one is really getting on my nerves, sempai. Won't you mind if I do the honor?" Hatsu said as he started to reach his large Fuuriken at his

back.

"No. I'll take care of him."

"The last thing I heard that, you let him ran off."

"I said, I'll take care of him." This time, her voice was with power.

"Hai, hai…" as he said those words, he attacked Aya head on.

Aya, having seen his movements, cast her Glass jutsu from the ground: it formed a shield for the two of them. The Fuuriken hit the glass but not

even a single crack was seen.

"Huh?" Hatsu said, noticeably shocked from what he saw. "Ohohoo… so this is the famous 'Glass Maiden' we heard so much about." he added as

he removed his Fuuriken from the glass. He jumped back to where he his partner was.

"Sempai," he said softly.

The woman nodded in agreement and went to the other direction. Wataru saw her and followed her.

"Wataru don't!" Aya yelled. When she was about to go after him, a huge Fuuriken blocked her way.

"Did you forget that I'm your opponent?" he said as his voice was a loud sneer.

Aya abruptly stopped and looked at the man. Great! Just when she saved Wataru and now he's going to get hurt again, or much worse: get killed.

She didn't want that to happen. Not as much as she wants to kill those two Akatsuki on her own. But she couldn't. Not without Wataru's help will

she be able to finish them off. She just needs to trust him, that's all.

She realized it now as to where Wataru got his self-confidence: TRUST. He has trust with himself and has trust with his teammates. That was what

Aya lost after everything. She carried the weight of doing everything and certainly that was what she lacked.

She smiled at herself for not being aware of it until now.

"Are you smiling 'cause you're 'bout to die?" Hatsu said as he attacked again, still, head on, but this time, in a much faster pace.

"Not quite." Aya replied, grinning, then yelled, "Wind Glass Shuriken no Jutsu."

Small shuriken-like glass with strong wind that wrapped around her for a second and then, it was flying towards Hatsu with the same speed as he

had.

Hatsu blocked it with his huge Fuuriken, proud of himself for being able to block such a weak attack from a person who has build up a high scale of

reputation such as hers. He smirked at her.

"I'm not done yet!" Aya said. "Fire Thrust no Jutsu!"

He blocked it again with his Fuuriken and this time, he wasn't smiling anymore.

"There was a legend," he started, "about a clan who held such power of. Only that, they were murdered."

At that, Aya stopped to attack as she listened to what Hatsu said.

"There was a woman," he continued, "from the town of Crystals who married from Konoha's clan. And they produced one healthy baby boy. This

boy grew up to be a well-respected man in their clan. Until such time that he got married from the same clan and produced twins."

Aya was appalled for what she was hearing now was unquestionably familiar to her.

"They had twins as their offspring: a boy and a girl. Their grandmother's clan was well known for their finest glass making products. But, these

products were made from chakra and only few clansmen inherit it and had the ability to do so. Do you know what chakra combination was that?"

he asked the question as though he was competing with her. Before Aya could answer his question, he beat her to it, "Fire and Wind. Those two

rare element combined together to form a new element which was the glass. It has no weak spots; it _is_ a Jutsu of complete flawlessness. The

father of the girl didn't inherit the said element nor does her twin brother. Only the daughter has it." There was a short silence. "Sometimes, the

child will inherit it from his parents, from his grandparents, or from his great-grand parents. And do you know why? It's because the hereditary was

inconsistent."

When Hatsu didn't talk again, Aya asked, "How did you know all of those things?" She was taken aghast of the man in front of her who knew so

much of her when in fact; no one really knew her family's history but herself. Not even her friends; not even Kakashi. So how come this stranger to

her know so much?

She stared at him for a while; trying to comprehend what had happened. Then, Hatsu, taking his chances, threw his Fuuriken straight at her. She

was in the state of shock that she didn't even notice the Fuuriken heading straight at her, explosive notes ready to explode. She just stood there,

stared at him blankly.


	8. Shudder

Chapter7

Shudder

Wataru followed the woman in front of him. He was going deeper in the forest; she was taking him far away from Aya and her partner as she

possibly could. Still, he followed her, even hearing the danger his senses were telling him, coping up from the fast pace she was taking. The

woman kept on glancing at him, making sure that he was behind her tail. Then, the woman stopped.

"Hmmm… now that we're alone, I'd like to introduce myself." the woman said.

Wataru took precaution. When the woman stopped, he also stopped but five meters away from her. He didn't dare move so close to her or she

might, this time, kill him for good.

She started to remove her straw hat and revealed her dark orange hair tied into double ponytail. Afterwards, she removed her upper robe,

revealing her face; she had an emerald green eyes. As Wataru watched her, to his horror, they both have the same hair and eye color! He couldn't

believe it. As Wataru continued to stare at her, waiting for the possibility that the woman might attack him, he then grasped who the woman was.

He fell back to the ground, not uttering a single word.

This cannot be happening, Wataru said to himself, unmistakably in the state of shock. You're, you're…

"Suppose to be dead?" the woman finished the sentence for him, with a sneer. "You know, you shouldn't believe everything _they_ tell you." The

woman added.

She can read my mind? Wataru thought. His face turned to full fury. He was thinking that he'd give her his peace of mind, but instead, he tilted his

head down and turned silent. He knew quite well this woman in front of him: his sister. His sister whom he thought had died during an unfinished

mission together with her best friend; his sister who he loved so much and cared for; his sister whom he thought would give him courage to move

on. But now, as he faced her, wearing an Akatsuki robe and much worse: a member. Why? Why? Why? those were the words that kept running

into his head.

"Wataru, you're still young. You haven't changed a bit." his sister said, mouth set in a firm line. "You know nothing of what is happening to the

world now. You are so naïve when it comes to dealing the outside world. Can't you see it? It is bounded with so much evil that one could die in

just a blink of an eye."

"What are you trying to say?" Wataru asked with deep constraint in his voice.

The woman looked at him, and then smiled evilly.

"It figures." the woman turned away from him as if leaving him behind.

"Are you running away from me?!" Wataru yelled at her.

But, the woman didn't even bother to stop. She continued to walk; her pace was getting farther and farther.

"Fire Thrust no Jutsu!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as large fire balls surrounded the woman. As the woman was about to get hit, she

disappeared and appeared in front of Wataru. Startled, he was taken aback.

"That technique again?" the woman said as she pushed him which set him flying and hit the nearby tree. "What the hell did you learn over the

years of staying in _that _school?"

At that push, Wataru coughed hard as he tried to stand up. He yet again formed a hand seals; a hand seals for his specialty jutsu: the Fire Thrust.

He spent most of his time practicing and mastering this jutsu. Even in the academy, he would always find time to practice the jutsu.

He stood up and cast the jutsu head on to her. Apparently, she again evaded his attack. She looked at him fiercely, stating that she was ready to

kill him anytime as she pleased. But that didn't stopped Wataru from attacking. He continued to attack his sister with the same technique. But, like

before, his sister evaded it with every one swift move.

He was wheezing very hard and was losing his chakra at a very fast rate. He kneeled to the ground from the dizziness he felt, trying to recover as

soon as possible.

His sister just glared at her for a few seconds and said, "Like I said, you're too young to face this world, little brother. Go home before I kill you."

"You said earlier, that the world is bounded with so much evil." he said, trying to regain his composure. "If this Akatsuki group you're into is not

called 'evil', then what really does 'evil' mean to you? If you think 'evil' is something can be found inside the world, then what is 'goodness' for?"

"Well, I see you've become quite a philosopher. _I_ saw the world you know nothing of earlier than you did."

"So, where does that take us?" he asked as though aggravating her sister to fight back. "If you think that I haven't seen the world's 'evil' quite

enough, well, think again."

He started to form another hand seals but this time, it was different from before. He concentrated in molding his chakra and in one full blow, he

released a huge fire, but then again, his sister evaded the attack.

"You're not an Uchiha, and yet, you released a jutsu only an Uchiha could possibly do. Tell me, what other mere jutsus have you learned from _her_?"

Wataru remained silent at her statement or does he moved an inch. He knew very well who her sister was talking about: her best friend. He just

stood there, staring at her. It's true that her sister's friend taught her a lot of their clan's jutsus, but, he only learned two of them, which he had

shown her, or rather, used to attack her. He didn't learn the other jutsus because the 'incident' happened before he could learn more. He lowered

his head as he spoke, "What do you care?" as he said this; his voice was cold and harsh.

The woman just looked at him and said nothing. However, she smiled at him.

"Foolish little brother." the woman said, releasing her right hand that was tucked under her robe. She formed a hand seal and cast her genjutsu

on him, making him doze. The woman turned around, making her way out of the forest, but little did she know there was a string attached to

where she was. She walked into it and was caught to the trap Wataru set.

"What the…?!" the woman said as she bent to her front. She turned to look at Wataru; he was lying on the ground, unconscious, or is he? the

woman thought. She went to him, her right arm ready for attack. As she went nearer to him, she saw his leg with a kunai, oozing with blood. Then,

puff! It was 'Kuwarimi no Jutsu'.

"Oh, that little…" the woman said, waiting for him to attack first. But he didn't.

Wataru hid himself on top of the tree branch, waiting for an opportunity to attack his sister. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Afterwards, he attacked his sister from above, holding a string, which the Uchiha usually possessed. His sister, sensing him, blocked his attacked

and threw him far from where they were. At that, Wataru screamed loud, got hit with a tree, and lost his consciousness.


End file.
